July 18, 2018 12:30pm EDTJuly 18, 2018 11:57am EDTOne of independent wrestling's top female stars, Deonna Purrazzo has signed with NXT and will compete at the upcoming Mae Young Classic 2018 tournament.(Credit: WWE, Inc.)

At Age 9, Deonna Purrazzo already knew that she wanted to be a part of a change in women’s wrestling.

Now, Purrazzo is part of the new class of superstar recruits training at the WWE Performance Center and she will be among the field of 32 women competing in the second Mae Young Classic.

“I know everyone, all the girls here, are so excited for this Mae Young Classic,” Purrazzo told Sporting News in an exclusive interview. “To be able to work with them and to try to further women's wrestling together, I've very excited for that.”

The tournament — featuring top wrestlers from around the world — tapes on Aug. 8 and 9 at Full Sail Live in Winter Park, Fla. and is expected to air later this summer on the WWE Network.

The 24-year-old Purrazzo was an alternate in last year’s inaugural Mae Young Classic. While she didn’t get to participate in the historic tournament, she was thrilled to experience it up close.

“Even though I was an alternate, I got to see these 32 incredible women change women's wrestling,” said Purrazzo, who trained with the competitors that week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.

“Regardless of me being in it or not, to see that first hand and that energy at Full Sail last year was amazing. It makes me even more excited for this year.”

The New Jersey native grew up watching WWE along with her twin brother and was captivated watching WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita.

“And that's really where this change started, to see them main event and they were strong and powerful and beautiful,” said Purrazzo. “I knew that if I could try that one day, I could be just like them.”

At the age of 18, Purrazzo — a former gymnast and cheerleader — began her wrestling training and made her debut in December 2013. The “Virtuosa” has spent the last five years wrestling around the world for various organizations including Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and the Japanese all-women’s Stardom promotion. Her timing couldn’t have been better with the wave in women’s wrestling.

“I think just when I started in wrestling back in 2012, women's wrestling had just begun this change,” explained Purrazzo. “Over the course of the last few years, we've really seen this evolution and this revolution and women empowerment all over the world. That was my goal in wrestling — I wanted to be a part of that change and I think that I've been able to be a part of that. It's a really proud moment for me.”

Purrazzo is a wrestler’s wrestler — a no-nonsense, intense competitor with strong technical skills who comes straight at her opponent once she steps in the ring. And don’t be fooled by her 5-2 frame either.

“I'm very, very meticulous when I get in the ring,” explained Purrazzo. “I very much believe that no matter my size or my opponent's size, everyone's joints work the same. So if I can pinpoint whether it's the Fujiwara armbar or even if it's someone's leg, we all break down the same at the end of the day. I very meticulous and very methodical when I get in the ring.”

Like so many who have grown up in New Jersey, Purrazzo has a swagger she carries with her. It’s proved her well and provided a toughness, especially for a woman in this line of work.

“We like to be larger than life, we like to prove people wrong,” said Purrazzo. “We are very sarcastic in nature. I think that's pushing me a little bit harder to prove everyone wrong. 'You can't be a wrestler. Women can't do this or women shouldn't be doing this.' I'm going to prove you wrong and I did it. That attitude has really helped a lot.”

Purrazzo is no stranger to the WWE Universe having already appeared several times on NXT television as well as an appearance on “SmackDown."

“You get to interact with everyone and you get to take a little piece of each person with you, each bit of their knowledge that they've accumulated over their years wrestling,” explained Purrazzo. “To be able to come in just for a week or a day at 'SmackDown' and really just gain all that knowledge, it helped me be a more well-rounded wrestler outside and in my own endeavors.”

Now that she is a part of the WWE family, Purrazzo already has one person in mind that she wants to talk with.

“The first Mae Young Classic competitor announced was former WWE divas champion Kaitlyn,” said Purrazzo. “I'm really excited to meet her and to pick her brain and to see what she has to say and just watch her come back.”

As one of the top female stars on the indie scene, Purrazzo has been in high demand by wrestling promotions everywhere. But it wasn’t a tough decision to sign with NXT as this was the opportunity she always wanted.

“Your dream job comes along once in a lifetime,” Purrazzo happily explained. “So, to give up other opportunities wasn't a big deal to me because this is where I wanted to be. I wanted to be a part of NXT. I wanted to come to the Performance Center every day and work towards being a WWE superstar one day.”

Purrazzo is doing exactly what she planned since that early age and is embracing every moment along her wrestling journey.

“I've loved this — professional wrestling, sports entertainment — my entire life,” Purrazzo said. "The moment I stepped in the ring was it for me and everything I've been able to do since then is just kind of icing on the cake. I love it.

"Not many people are fortunate enough to do their dream every single day, to live their dream every single day so I just have to remember that and be fortunate for that and be really happy to love what I do every day.”